Now, I ain’t going to pretend that I’m much to look at. No one is these days. You probably wouldn’t even bother to give me a second glance on the street.

That’s unless you were one of The City’s, well, let’s call them ‘less salubrious entrepreneurs.’ Then you’d know me, because they all know me. Some of them owe me too. Or I owe them. And they’ll get what’s coming to them, sooner or later.

I’ve been around, you see. Name any building in the city and you can bet that at some point I’ve robbed it, slept in it or pissed on it. Sometimes all three.

I might not be the brightest or the best, but you can bet that I know someone who is.

"THE QUEEN OF BEGGARS SEES ALL" (Part Two)

Let me tell you about the City...

We both know a thing or two about survival. Some say I'm more ancient than all the plagues, than the City itself with her rats and her beggars. We have grown old together... Time and again, I watched her brought down only to rise from her own ashes.

But this time is different. The balance has shifted because unwise men have tempered with powers they do not understand. Now the City grows sick. The Gloom threatens to unravel us all like we never existed.

But still... there is one who may yet be the key. One who fears the light inside him as much as the darkness. The child of the shadows was broken, changed, but not dead. He returns to walk a path few would wish.

Yes... He will do nicely.

"THE THIEF TAKER GENERAL'S HUNT" (Part Three)

Let me tell you about the City!

Its in your first cry.... and your last breath. It is the chain around your neck, the shackles around your feet. It doesn’t deal any favours, and neither do I. Sooner or later it all comes down to power. And money. Who has it and who doesn’t. And if you have more than you're supposed to, I'll be there to right those wrongs with my black tax.

But there is always that fly in the ointment, that grain of sand in the gears. That Master Thief in the night. He thinks himself so well hidden, one with the shadows, but I know all his tricks. His weakness. It's my job, after all.

The City has changed, the balance has shifted, all because men in robes had to tamper with forces they could not fully understand.
Garrett is no saviour, but he may be forced to step into the light before the City succumbs to darkness.

Stealing Time - Episode 3 - The City Hubhttp://community.eidosmontreal.com/b...-3?theme=thief
Featuring for the first time the vocal stylings of Senior Level Designer Brad Hines, who joined Nic Cantin to answer your City Hub questions. Hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we did putting it together.

THIEF is a reinvention of a franchise that helped define an entire genre of games, and is the fourth and newest installment in the genre-defining series of stealth games of the same name, following Thief: The Dark Project (1998), Thief II: The Metal Age (2000) and Thief: Deadly Shadows (2004).

Thief is a highly immersive, story-driven first-person action-stealth adventure which allows players to experience the fantasy of being THE master thief in a fictitious dark Victorian/Pre-industrial world, the City.

Thief is the story of Garrett, THE master thief who is both cunning and crafty. Free to roam a city with a wealth of opportunity at his fingertips, Thief requires players to infiltrate various scenarios, steal items and escape without being detected.

WHO IS DEVELOPING THIEF?
Thief is in development by Eidos-=Montréal, published by Square Enix.

WHEN IS THE RELEASE DATE?
The official release date is February 25, 2014
Thief will be available in 2014 for PC, PlayStation®4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360.

WHAT WILL THE GAME BE RATED?
Thief will have an M rating.
The storyline is for mature people, not necessarily because of violence but because it is for a mature audience. Yes the world is violent, but that’s not the goal of the game.

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GAME OVERVIEW

Garrett, the Master Thief, steps out of the shadows into the City. In this treacherous place, where the Baron’s Watch spreads a rising tide of fear and oppression, his skills are the only things he can trust. Even the most cautious citizens and their best-guarded possessions are not safe from his reach.

As an uprising emerges, Garrett finds himself entangled in growing layers of conflict. Lead by Orion, the voice of the people, the tyrannized citizens will do everything they can to claim back the City from the Baron’s grasp. The revolution is inevitable. If Garrett doesn’t get involved, the streets will run red with blood and the City will tear itself apart.

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STORY AND NARRATIVE

WHAT IS THE GENERAL STORY INTRODUCTION/PLOTLINE OF THIEF?

THIEF is a reinvention of a classic franchise that allows players to take on the role of Garrett, THE master thief. When the city that created and defines him is threatened, Garrett must step from the shadows and uncover the truth before his world is torn apart forever.

"Time has moved on. Power has shifted. New greed replaces the old.
But to remain free in The City of chains – that is still the greatest prize.
First I stole to survive… then I survived to steal.
I am one man; I hear your secrets, see your hidden truths.
I am the shadows, the dark and deadly, the velvet night. You will not see me coming.

I am Garrett….What’s yours is mine."

WHAT IS THE SETTING?

Thief is set in a location known as "The City", a place beset with a rising tide of fear. Hatred saturates every stone and whilst the rich prosper, the less fortunate face misery and repression. Ravaged with sickness and famine known as "the gloom", they wait for something to change.

WHEN DOES THE GAME OCCUR?

The story of Thief takes place in a pre-industrial, Victorian era much further along in history than seen previously in a Thief title.

WHAT IS THE GAME'S RELATION TO THE ORIGINAL THIEF SERIES?
Thief is a new game in the Thief series – not a sequel or prequel. It stands alone as a re-invention of Thief. Think of the game as a brand new, alternative timeline taking place in the same universe.

WHY IS GARRETT KNOWN AS 'THE MASTER THIEF'?
Garrett isn’t a petty criminal; he’s THE ultimate master thief. He doesn’t have any need to belong to a criminal group or guild, he works on his own. He moves silently, in the dark of the night and can infiltrate even the most secure fortress.

WHAT ARE THE MYSTICAL/MAGICAL ELEMENTS IN THE GAME?
The narrative of Thief makes a distinction between magical and mystical. Thief is not a game with magicians and where magical powers are a part of the gameplay. The focus system is the most extreme 'magical' gameplay element in the game.

Thief includes mystical elements which are part of the lore and the game universe, including mystical elements that are part of the core narrative. Those who are interested in the game’s lore will find that exploring the world will reward their curiosity.

The first season of "Game of Thrones" is a good benchmark for the equivalent amount mystical presence there is in Thief. It’s there and underlying, but not upfront and constantly showcase – and when it is present, it matters.

WHAT ARE THE FEATURES?

YOU ARE GARRETT, THE MASTER THIEF: Step into the silent shoes of Garrett, a dark and lonely thief with an unrivaled set of skills. The most challenging heists, the most inaccessible loot, the best kept secrets: nothing is out of your reach.

THE CITY: YOURS FOR THE TAKING: Explore the sick and troubled City, from its shady back alleys to the heights of its rooftops. Sneak into rich houses, Infiltrate the best-guarded mansions and lurk in every dark corner… unnoticed and unsanctioned.

CHOOSE YOUR APPROACH: Leverage Garrett’s arsenal to take down guards with your blackjack, shoot one of your many arrow types or use your newly acquired focus abilities to manipulate the environment and outsmart your enemies. What kind of master thief will you be?

UNPRECEDENTED IMMERSION: Become one with the world thanks to ground-breaking visual elements and a truly tactile and visceral first-person experience. Through jaw-dropping Next-Gen technical possibilities, THIEF delivers unprecedented immersion through sights, sounds and artificial intelligence.

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GAMEPLAY

HOW DO YOU PLAY?

The game is a story-driven first person action-stealth adventure. You move through the dark pre-industrial era city using the shadows and darkness to explore and navigate. You encounter various scenarios with multiple challenges, hide in the shadows, steal priceless items and then escape undetected.

First person
Thief is a first-person adventure featuring intelligent design that allows players to take full control, with freedom to choose their path through the game’s levels and how they approach and overcome each challenge. There are some 3rd person elements referred to internally as "vertical navigation", but these moments are kept to a minimum and the vast majority of the game is in 1st person. 3rd person is used to improve your awareness of your surroundings, and particular care has been taken to ensure that we’re not jarring players back-and-forth between cameras.

Choice
Players will have multiple ways to reach their objectives.

Fighting/combat
If you choose to take the fighting/combat approach you’ll be challenged by both the guards and the environment/level design - people are certainly going to react to your behavior!

Fans will be happy to hear that old school style melee combat is still there like the classic Thief games, and it’s just as challenging. The blackjack is back as well! We’ve also added an extra layer on top of that to empower the player, Garrett has the option to use his Focus ability to give him a temporary advantage if players choose – but it comes at a cost.

Tools
The game will offer multiple tools to reach these objectives and it’s up to the players choosing the way they prefer to reach them, with each path having its own set of challenges, encounter and loot.

Pace
We want to give the player a choice about pacing. It’s really up to the player to decide how to use the tools at their disposal to define their own pace.

Difficulty Settings
Thief will cater to all players, those new to the franchise to hardcore fans who will find that a challenge worthy of their long wait! Players will be able to adjust difficulty, making the game as hard or easy as they wish: newcomers will be able to enjoy the game without too many problems while hardcore gamers will be able to select a gameplay experience much closer to the original Thief games should they so desire.

CAN THE GAME BE COMPLETED WITHOUT KILLING ANYBODY?
Yes, the game can be completed without killing anyone – It’s obviously a tougher challenge though.

The design direction from the beginning of the project has always been that Garrett is THE master thief, not an assassin. His goal is to steal, not kill. He only kills when he risks getting caught, to save his own life and future.

CAN I KILL EVERYBODY?
You can approach a situation aggressively, but it is not recommend that you take on multiple guards at the same time. Although Garrett has a lethal arsenal, using a confrontational style is not recommended. You can kill people to get out of tricky situations, but you also have to manage your resources (eg. You have a limited amount of arrows - If you use them all in the first section of a level, you’re going to have to do more exploration to find more arrows and replenish your stock).

Thief is not a run-and-gun first person game. It relies on stealth and cunning.

HOW DOES HEALTH AND FOCUS REGENERATION WORK?

Health and Focus do not regenerate. Food pick-ups regenerate health and can be used immediately or stored for later use. Focus is regenerated by performing specific stealth actions (e.g. picking a lock) or using the poppies that are found growing in The City.

ARE THERE COLLECTIBLES IN THE GAME?
Yes. Collectibles are the various different loot that you can steal. Loot has different monetary and rarity values. Loot design is also tied to the in-game challenges and achievements/ trophies system. There are series of objects to collect. We have extra challenges for the players if they manage to capture all the valuables of a level and of the game. It’s completely optional and more elaborate than a simple collectible system, especially designed to be aligned with the core to the fantasy of being a thief.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL OF THE LOOT/MONEY YOU COLLECT?
It’s used in 2 ways:
1. There is an upgrade / in-game economy system in the game which is well integrated in the world/fantasy of the game and allows players to improve their arsenal/toolset/gear
2. Garrett is a connoisseur and a collector. He has a hideout, in which he can look at his collection of loot. It’s done in such a way that the player will see how successful a master thief he is and feel empowered by his collection, as it grows.

The loot design is also tied to the in-game challenges, and also to the achievements and trophies system. There are series of objects to collect. There are extra challenges for the players if they manage to capture all the valuables of a level and of the game. It’s completely optional and more elaborate than a simple collectible system, especially since it is core to the fantasy of playing a thief.

WHAT IS THE CITY HUB?
The city hub is where you get all your mission briefings and where you spend a lot of time exploring and doing side missions. The time you will spend here is hugely variable, based on how much exploration you do.

WHAT IS THE FOCUS SYSTEM AND HOW DOES IT RELATE TO GARRETT'S EYE?
The focus system is a result of both Garrett’s mastery of his own art and of the special abilities that his special eye grants him. His eye was created because of a mystical event. Garrett's eye is not "simply" a mechanical eye as it was in the classic Thief games. The origin of Garrett’s eye (and his ability to focus) is tied to the lore and is explained to the player at the beginning of the game.

TOOLS OF THE MASTER THIEF

The Bow
As a skilled marksman, Garrett can dispatch opponents with a single shot. He employs a highly varied arsenal of arrows which give him a tactical edge when he’s on the job, and he is able to manipulate his environment and those around him by using arrows for things like creating distractions or triggering switches from a distance.

The Claw
Acquired from a fellow thief, Garrett puts his claw to use on a daily (err... nightly) basis. The Claw can be thrown at specific parts of the environment (such as metal grates) where hooks automatically engage and embed themselves. The claw also has a built-in grapple-line that is strong enough to hold Garrett’s weight - and just as importantly, the weight of any valuables he’s relieved from the good citizens of The City.

The Lockpick
Any thief can use a lockpick, but the difference with Garrett is that he’s a master of the art. He can unlock a strongbox faster than anyone and hasn’t broken a single lockpick in a very long time.

The Blackjack
Designed to be non-lethal, a blackjack consists of a soft leather exterior padding a rock hard interior. Garrett uses his blackjack to knock out his enemies with a single, silent blow, although it is markedly less effective against alert foes, and anybody rendered unconscious can be woken and will aggressively pursue their attacker.

WHAT ARROWS HAVE BEEN REVEALED SO FAR?

Broadhead Arrow:
Water Arrow:
Rope Arrow: can be shot into specific areas of the level to allow Garrett to reach higher places.
Fire Arrow: can be shot at enemies (minor damage), set specific burnable objects on fire (e.g. pools of oil, fireplaces, etc.) or used to destroy small objects (like pulleys)
Blunt Arrow: can be shot near an enemy to divert their attention – it`s a cheap arrow which doesn`t do damage, but can break fragile objects (like vases), distract NPCs and push buttons.

More arrows will be revealed in time.

WHAT OTHER FEATURES HAVE BEEN REVEALED SO FAR?

Non Focus melee combat: Attack guards ‘manually’ without using Focus. Blocking attacks at a specific time can result in a parry which gains an advantage for Garrett.

Peeking through locks: used to see what lies behind a closed door.

Mini Map: can be toggled on/off.

Garrett’s footsteps can be silenced by running on certain surfaces (e.g. grass or carpet).

Focus can be used to track enemy’s footsteps.

Bottles can be thrown to cause distractions and 2 can be stored at any 1 time to use later.

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE AI?

Thief's AI isn’t scripted. It’s adaptive and systemic, and designed to let you play cat and mouse with the NPCs if you want to. Given the player a variety of tools (bow, claw, blackjack, takedowns, focus, etc.) and the complex level design, the AI had to be designed to support these features and give the player a challenge.

WHAT WILL THE MUSIC BE LIKE?
Thief's music direction is dark and organic. It is a mix of orchestral and dark-electronic-ambient music that highlights the contrast/clash between the medieval era and the industrial era, which is at the heart of the setting.

The composer is Luc St Pierre

WHICH ENGINE DOES THIEF USE?
Thief uses a highly modified version of UNREAL ENGINE 3

D'Astous - "With Thief, we have had more time to evaluate the different options and we've gone with the Unreal engine instead of the engine we used for Deus Ex."

"I don't want to say that engine choice is crucial to the success of a game, what's crucial is to have good people working on it. My approach is to let the team decide what technology they want to use, they had evaluated it and chose Unreal. It's funny, Deus Ex has a completely different set of problems to what we have now with Thief. Every project has their set of challenges, but that's what keeps us alive and on our toes. It's difficult to predict our problems, what's important is how fast you solve them."

The Thief community shares their best wishes & messages of farewell for Stephen Russell in appreciation for his work as the voice of Garrett.
Thanks to Lauren C. (aka “Skaadi”) for organizing this initiative via the Thief forums.

It starts now! Not going to do a blog post with them just yet because I want to keep making more for you guys. I've also given your list of requests to Jean-Philippe, our gameplay capturing guy, for inclusion in the next playthrough. Some stuff just doesn't show up good enough in tiny GIF form.

With that...

You can see the custom difficulty menu and the display options menu best detailed in the PlayStation Access video right here:

The following are the options for purchase from the first merchant you encounter in the game.

Resources

Tools

Trinkets

Originally Posted by Freyja

That was FUN!

Sawtooth

Choke and Explosive

Fire

Originally Posted by Freyja

A lady's boudoir, is there anything more private? Pretty sure Madame XiaoXiao would take umbrage at Garrett rooting around her shaving kit and nicking her secret diary.

Originally Posted by Freyja

Dead Screen That one was easy. I see it A LOT.

PC Controls (completely remappable, of course)

PS4 Controls

PS3 Controls

Xbox One Controls

Xbox 360 Controls

Originally Posted by Freyja

I tried not to duplicate things that have been shown in the most recent gameplay previews, but this one was too relevant to MT's interests for me to pass up.

You can see it much better in this video around 2:50, but if you're trying to avoid spoilers you might want to not watch it.

SEQUEL OR REBOOT?

Originally Posted by Freyja

I'll point out that Deus Ex: Human Revolution was labeled DX3 for much of its development, with a logo and merch and everything.
The reboot vs sequel thing is... more complicated than the strict definitions of those words. I've had Nic (or was it Steven) explain it to me in a more cyclical way. Like the City, Garrett, the people, the factions have always existed and all play their parts over and over again, building on the ruins of the last turn of time. That's why patterns reoccur, and why you can see bits of the old lore poking through like fossils. Our version of Thief is just another layer in the geological ages of the City.